Issue #23 Released!

How does it feel to get a new issue of The Smog a little over a month after we released the previous one? Us at The Smog team think it feels great! It turns out that the structural changes we've put in place have really paid off, as issue #23 brings with it almost 40 articles, which was the regular number we were getting before we shifted to the month-to-month schedule. This has all been accomplished regardless of college finals that most of us have had to deal with lately, and of course holidays. Everybody at The Smog has done a phenomenal job to make this release happen, and they all deserve a big round of applause!

You will also notice how The Smog is entering this holiday season with a new look and feel in sections such as the main page and the issues themselves (starting with #23), although the rest of the magazine has received some nice improvements as well. Toast and I decided that it would be cool to have a new design ready with this release, as The Smog had been wearing the old outfit for far too long and it was just time to do something about that. But, don't think we're stopping here; you can expect much more this coming year, as we hope to make some dramatic changes to the magazine in the technical front.

Last but not least, I want to give a special mention to Birkal, ium, sandshrewz, and Toast, who all went over the top with their contributions this time around. I also want to thank our Staff member jumpluff, who came back from her leave as we began to prepare this issue last month, and the work she's done is wonderful. Thank you all!

Ruiner of Alph

I had a tl;dr written up but then I went to bed and lost it. Anyway, I had a lot of fun putting this together, so I hope you guys enjoy. Thank you so much for your hard work on the redesign, Toast and Setsuna, and a special thanks to my loyal underlings, sandshrewz and ium, as well as all the relief writers and back-up artists who made the final week possible and run more smoothly than any release I've participated in during my ridiculously long tenure. Happy New Year, Smogon! ^_^

Please note that we are implementing some new approvals processes for aspiring contributors (artists and writers) that should make everything so much smoother for staff and authors/artists alike. More details will be forthcoming in the following days, so if you desire to be a part of The Smog in future issues, you'll have all you need to know then! This means that if you'd like to apply to write or draw for The Smog, please remain patient until everything is revealed. ^_^

Moderator

Once again the level of fun has reached a new height for me personally. Had even more fun working this issue than the last one. Many great articles to GP check, and I especially liked the teamwork I had with some of the guys here this issue, especially the one with pluff in the mornings. :)

Once again the level of fun has reached a new height for me personally. Had even more fun working this issue than the last one. Many great articles to GP check, and I especially liked the teamwork I had with some of the guys here this issue, especially the one with pluff in the mornings. :)

im gay lol

Ah my debut smog article! I think this article was a great succes and that we all really pulled it together despite some people having to leave and others being a little inactive. This was the first smog article I have played a part in and I can say to anyone wanting to write an article for the smog to just do it! I was a bit nervous and smog work is something I have been interested in but have never done. I am glad I gave it a try and expect more articles from me in the upcoming smogs! I would like to thank the whole smog team for being very welcome to me and for being such hard workers you guys are the greatest!

Sprite Leader

Challenge to anyone who is not already a smog contributor: figure out who wrote which gym entries in the Can You Even Lift article out of myself, rodan, and tennisace, can you do it?

Special thanks to Birkal for letting me finish the nutshell article. Before I took up as co-writer for it he was already asking me to help contribute events from the year.

Also I'm really happy with the PokeTour of course, which seemed to be the one article that wouldn't get done and just had to because it's the holidays. But somehow it's the biggest PokeTour so far I'm really glad.

GJ everyone we managed in spite of exams, holidays, vacations and everything in between. Here is to another great year of The Smog!